UNHOLY

THIRD PERSON PO

The club was loud-just how she wanted it. Music thumped against her skin, drowning out the nagging voice in her head telling her to go home, to not do this. But she wasn't listening tonight.

Victoria downed another shot, the burn in her throat a welcome distraction from the real ache inside her. Screw him. Screw the ex who left her raw and humiliated. Screw love. She wasn't looking for feelings tonight. Just hands. Lips.

A body to press against hers so she wouldn't have to think.She swayed onto the dance floor, the alcohol humming in her veins as she moved to the music.

Eyes followed her-men drawn to the way her dress clung to her curves, to the unspoken promise in her gaze. She didn't care who she chose. It didn't matter.Then, she felt him. A stranger. His hands found her waist, pulling her flush against his body. He was tall, rough around the edges, and when he leaned in, his breath was warm against her ear.

"You looking for trouble, sweetheart?"She turned in his arms, tilting her head up to meet his smirk. "Something like that."His fingers skimmed her thigh, sending a shiver through her. Good. She needed this. Needed to feel something, even if it was cheap and fleeting."Let's get out of here," he murmured, voice thick with intent.Victoria grabbed his hand without hesitation.Tonight wasn't about heartbreak.

Tonight was about forgetting.

The hotel room door slammed shut behind them. Victoria barely had time to register the dim lighting, the unmade bed, before his hands were on her-rough, eager, exactly what she wanted.

Her back hit the wall, and his lips crashed against hers, tasting like whiskey and desire. She welcomed it, tilting her head back as his mouth trailed down her neck. His hands roamed, fingers digging into her hips as he pressed her firmly against him.

"Fuck," she whispered, not because she felt it-because she wanted to feel it.

Her dress slid up her thighs, his fingers making quick work of the barrier between them. She let him take control, let him maneuver her onto the bed, let herself pretend this was what she needed. Skin against skin, breathless moans, the sharp sting of pleasure-everything blurred together, a haze of sensation and heat.

But as he moved above her, as his grip tightened, as he whispered her name like it meant something, a cold emptiness spread through her.

This wasn't what she wanted.

Not really.

She squeezed her eyes shut, nails dragging across his back, forcing herself to stay in the moment. To chase the pleasure, to let it consume her. To forget.

But even as her body responded, her mind refused to.

Because no matter how much she tried to lose herself in this stranger's touch, she still felt alone.

The room was filled with the sounds of heavy breathing, skin against skin, the creaking of the bed beneath them. Victoria moved with him, let him take what he wanted, let herself pretend she wanted it just as much. But as the minutes dragged on, that dull, hollow feeling in her chest only grew.

His hands gripped her thighs, his breath hot against her ear as he murmured something-her name, a curse, she didn't know, didn't care. She bit her lip, digging her nails into his back, trying to pull herself into the moment, trying to let the friction erase everything clawing at her mind.

But it wasn't working.

She felt nothing.

Her body moved, but her heart wasn't in it. She wasn't here-she was back in her ex's apartment, hearing him tell her it was over, watching him walk away like she hadn't meant a damn thing. She was standing outside in the cold, her pride shattered, her love wasted.

And this? This wasn't fixing it.

Her stomach twisted, nausea creeping in as the weight of him became suffocating. The pleasure she had chased so desperately was slipping through her fingers, leaving her raw, exposed.

"Fuck, you feel good," he groaned, his pace quickening.

Victoria turned her head, staring at the ceiling, biting the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood.

She just needed this to be over.

Minutes later, he collapsed beside her, his breathing uneven, a lazy grin on his face. He reached for her, fingers tracing her arm. "That was-"

She slipped out of bed before he could finish.

His brows furrowed as she grabbed her dress off the floor. "Leaving already?"

Victoria pulled it over her head, her hands steady despite the storm raging inside her. "Yeah."

She didn't look at him as she stepped into her heels, as she grabbed her purse, as she walked to the door.

"You don't even wanna-"

The door clicked shut behind her before he could finish.

She walked down the hotel hallway, her legs still unsteady, her heart beating too fast. But it wasn't from what just happened.

It was from the realization that no matter how many bodies she let touch hers, no matter how much she tried to drink, to fuck, to forget-

She was still broken.

~~~~

Victoria sat curled up on her bed, knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as silent sobs wracked her body. The dim morning light filtered through her blinds, but she barely noticed. Her makeup from last night was smeared, mascara streaking down her cheeks, her lips still swollen from kisses that meant nothing.

She had wanted to forget. To lose herself in someone else, even if just for a night. But all it had done was make her feel worse-emptier.

Her phone sat on the nightstand, the screen cracked from when she'd thrown it against the wall after reading his last text.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't working anymore. I think we should move on."

Move on.

Like she had been nothing to him.

A fresh wave of pain crashed over her, and she buried her face in her pillow, muffling her cries.

Then, a knock at the door.

"Vic?" Natalie's voice was soft but insistent. "Open up."

Victoria stayed quiet, hoping she'd just go away, but a second later, the door creaked open.

Natalie stepped inside, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun, her expression instantly softening when she saw Victoria curled up on the bed. "Oh, babe..." She sighed, walking over and sitting beside her.

Victoria sniffled but didn't look up.

Natalie didn't push. She just reached out, running a gentle hand over Victoria's back. "I know it hurts," she murmured. "I know you don't wanna get up. But you can't stay like this forever."

Victoria squeezed her eyes shut. "I feel like I'm falling apart, Nat."

"I know," Natalie whispered. "But you're not. I'm here. And you're gonna be okay."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Natalie just kept rubbing slow circles on Victoria's back, letting her cry.

Then, after a while, she sighed. "Come on, we have class soon. You need to shower, eat something. At least pretend to function."

Victoria let out a weak laugh, wiping her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. "You're bossy."

"And you love me for it," Natalie said, giving her a small smile. "Now, get your ass up before I drag you out of bed myself."

Victoria groaned but slowly sat up, her body heavy with exhaustion.

Maybe she wasn't ready to be okay yet.

But with Natalie by her side, maybe she'd get there.